I wrote the following last summer and sent it to the local press. Needless to say, it didn't get carried by any of them. The reason for revisiting it now is that Cllr Cosgrave would have absented herself from Dublin City Council meetings for 6 consecutive meetings after tonight but she turned up and made it her first meeting since March. If she had missed this meeting it would have been possible to rule thar she had vacated her seat and to select a co-option to replace her. So she struggled through the wind and the rain and passport control to ensure her grip is retained on her council salary. And she should at this point have lost most of her allowance for expenses as they are meant to be paid pro rata with her attendance. You know when everyone talks about the various scandals that happened down the years on local authorities and people comment as to why no one ever printed anything. Well now we know why. When the media can''t even be bothered to expose someone who doesn't turn up for work when the meetings are held in public sure why would they bother paying attention to what happens in darkened corners.
She has so much more to be proud of when it comes to the more local focus of north central area committee meetings where she has attended all of...zero meetings this year. She has asked no questions nor put forward any motions to the city council or the area committee during the entire year.
I'm also curious to know as to whether or not she claiming to be tax resident in France and thus claiming her council salary tax free? Or does she claim to be tax reisdent here but uses French public services and how the French authorities must feel about that. And could her actions have anything to do with the rejection of an attempt in January 2006 to demolish her house at Foxfield rd., Raheny (or at least it is still the place she is registered to vote at) and build 10 retirement condos? She was quite vocal about her dislike of new apartments, but sure when it would herself profiting her tune has changed. Anyway, below are my comments from July. They seem too mild now.
July 2006 -
'I feel very disappointed for the people of Artane and for Cllr Bourke personally that Cllr Cosgrave couldn't bring herself to support a Northsider for the position of Lord Mayor of the city instead favouring the Southside again for this position.' said Daniel Sullivan reflecting on the defeat for local Labour councillor Paddy Bourke in the Mayoral election. 'This is the second year in a row that Cllr. Cosgrave has chosen to throw her toys out of the Democrat Alliance pram. And it would seem that she was intent this year on voting against the Democratic Alliance candidate whoever the candidates on offer were. She did this, despite the fact that she was returned at the last election as part of that same offering, which the people supported in huge numbers. I suppose she expects Fine Gael voters should be grateful that she didn’t vote for the Sinn Fein candidate for Mayor Cllr Christy Burke. Or is she saving that for next year’s performance.'
Contrary to some of the reporting she was not expelled from Fine Gael last year, rather she simply lost the party whip in the council chamber for a period. That sanction appears only to have whetted her appetite for destruction. Dan Sullivan commented 'I think the appropriate expression is 'Spare the rod and spoil the child'.
The Cllr. in addition to turning her back on Donaghmede and Dublin for the sunnier climes of France for much of the year has decided to completely abandon her roots in Fine Gael. It is a very sad end for what was a long tradition of representation in the north east of Dublin.' Speaking as someone who stood unsuccessfully for Artane in 2004, I believed at the time and still believe that it was much better to tell the truth rather than to say something you don’t believe simply to get elected. I believe in telling it like it is. “Let justice be done, though the heavens fall”. Contrastingly, Cllr Cosgrave has, I believe, decided to deceive the entire electorate in Donaghmede and most especially the people who voted for her. It seems it was always her intention to be a part time commuter councillor. Jetting in from foreign parts when it suits her, I’m sure Marie Antoinette would be most impressed. If the councillor had any honour left, she would resign her seat now and allow the position be filled by someone who would be more available to the people of Donaghmede all year round.
